All's Fair in Love and Feuds
by bookwormatheart
Summary: Sequel to Just Enemies! Now that Sonny is back at So Random, everything is normal again. But when it's announced that Mackenzie Falls is returning, the peace is shattered. If the Randoms and the Mackenzie Falls snobs are forced to work together, will the feuding begin again? With parties, unexpected love triangles, and jealousy, all Sonny knows is that all's fair in love and feuds!
1. Chapter 1

Author's_ Note: Hey guys! I'm back! I know it's been awhile since I finished Just Enemies, but it was really nice to have a break. But now I'm back, and this is the promised sequel. I hope it lives up to the first one. The first chapter is always a little hard for me cause I have to get used to all of these characters again, so I hope I did a pretty good job with that. I will try my hardest to update this story every two weeks or so, but I'm so sorry if there are huge gaps. I'm working on other stories too right now, so sometimes it's hard to commit to updating. I will try to make it up to you if there ARE huge gaps, but like I said, I can't promise anything. Anyway, I am really excited about this sequel, I really missed hearing your feedback! If you haven't read Just Enemies, there are two things you can do. You can either click on my username and read it, or you can just read this one and sort of figure out what you missed along the way. I'd recommend reading Just Enemies first, it's only ten chapters, but if you don't want to, I get that. I really hope you enjoy this story! Please review! _

Sonny's POV:

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking in the sunlight that flooded in from my window. Yawning, I stretched my arms above my head, then smiled happily. It was still a weird sensation, even after almost six months, to wake up in my old room in my mom's apartment in Hollywood with a smile on my face and a day full of laughs with my castmates at So Random to look forward to. Ever since that night on the show, when I'd kissed Chad and found my way back to the job, and the people, I loved so much, my life had taken a huge turn for the better. I had my boyfriend back, my job back, all my friends surrounding me every day, and a huge fan base that just kept on growing. I didn't even really mind the pressures of being back in the spotlight. My fans had opened their arms to me and had been incredibly supportive of me and Chad getting back together again. Marshall had told me that the episode where we kissed had the best ratings of any episode of any show at Condor Studios. _Take that Mackenzie Falls! _I thought, then grinned. Mackenzie Falls had been taken off the air shortly after I left So Random so they could do some rewriting on the next season (ok, basically change everything about the show) and there hadn't been much buzz about it since. _I wonder what Chad thinks of that? Does he miss it as much as I missed So Random? _I thought about it for a few minutes, then shook my head. _He seems pretty happy on So Random. Plus, he's nothing like the Chad Dylan Cooper who starred on that show three years ago. And at least now there's no more stupid feud to worry about. Wait a minute, speaking of So Random... _

I rolled over and glanced at my alarm clock, then cringed. _If I don't hurry up, I am going to be sooo late. _Quickly I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, I finished drying my hair and raced to my bedroom to pick out something to wear. Twenty minutes after that, I grabbed my purse and a granola bar from the kitchen and dashed out the door.

* * *

Just as I pulled up in front of the studio, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the sender ID, and saw it was from Chad. Well, actually, it was from: Your Hottie Celeb BF;) I rolled my eyes and laughed. Chad had changed his name to that in my phone a couple of weeks ago. I had been meaning to change it, but it always slipped my mind. Plus, it fit him so well. Grinning, I hit the read button.

**From: Your Hottie Celeb BF;) **

**Hey where are you? We're about to start brainstorming for that new sketch. Oh, and Marshall just told me I have to meet Mr. Condor in an hour... what do you think that's about? **

I frowned. Mr. Condor didn't just meet with people for the heck of it. There must be some reason he wanted to talk to Chad. The funny thing was, I couldn't think of a one. Chad had been nothing short of idolized by the public by the last few months. He'd hosted multiple charity events with the help of the other castmates at So Random, and of course dating me (Wisconsin small town girl with big dreams which landed her in the big city success story blah, blah, blah) had definitely helped his good-guy image. And it wasn't just an image anymore either. Chad was a sweetheart now. A little bit too-famous-for-his-own-good sweetheart, but still a sweetheart. So this couldn't be about bad publicity or anything. I hit reply.

**To: Your Hottie Celeb BF;) **

**Ok, I'll be there in a sec. My alarm didn't go off this morning. And I have no idea... maybe he wants to give you a raise. It can't be anything bad, I know that. **

Almost instantly my phone buzzed again.

**From: Your Hottie Celeb BF;) **

**Yeah, cause I'm so perfect and all. ;) **

I grinned but didn't bother replying. I'd see him a few minutes anyway. I got out of my car and hurried into the studio, but I'd barely walked in before my phone buzzed again.

**From: Tawni **

**Good grief woman, where are you? Are you finally going all diva Hollywood on us and making us wait? **

I rolled my eyes and started to type my reply when suddenly I ran right into someone. "Woah!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" I looked up into a pair of beautiful light blue eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I smiled at the girl I had just run into, "I'm fine." She was pretty, with long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. She looked like she'd walked right out of a magazine.

"Oh my gosh, you're Sonny Munroe, aren't you?" She said, her big eyes widening even more. "I just plowed into a star, I can't believe this!"

I laughed. "It was my fault too, don't even worry about it." I glanced down at my phone and noticed the time. "Oh, ouch, I really got to go, but it was nice meeting you..."

"Jacquelyn." She filled in.

"Nice to meet you Jacquelyn!" I smiled. "Maybe I'll see you around some other time."

"I hope so." She said, smiling sweetly. "Bye."

"Bye!" I said, and rushed for So Random's prop house. When I walked in, my castmates were already seated on the couches, next week's script sitting in front of them. "Hey guys." I said, sitting down next to Chad. "Sorry I'm late."

"Sonny! I'm glad you're here." Tawni said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder and sighing. "Would you please tell these bozos over here that another dolphin boy sketch would just be a bad idea?"

"Why?" Grady demanded. "That sketch always got laughs before."

"It's a classic." Nico added.

"It's too classic." Zora argued. "Dolphin Boy is one of the longest running sketches on So Random. It's time we thought of something more creative to take it's place."

"Well, maybe." Chad said cautiously. "But I don't think we should write it off altogether. If it still works, let it work."

"Ugh! Please Chad, for once can you form an actual opinion about something instead of trying to be so neutral!" Tawni whined.

"That was an actual opinion!" Chad said, looking a little annoyed. "You just didn't agree with it."

I rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat as my castmates continued to bicker. At this rate we wouldn't get anything done all day. Although we usually worked pretty well as a team, there were still days when the system broke down.

"Let's call in the other guys!" Zora said finally. "And ask their opinion. Whatever the majority votes, we'll do."

"Finally, someone makes sense in this looney bin!" Tawni snapped.

I hid a smile as Nico whipped out his cellphone to text the other members of So Random. In a few minutes they all walked in, talking and laughing amongst themselves. "Hey guys." Chad stood up. "We all wanted to ask you something about one of the sketches."

"Shoot." Matthew said, putting his arm around his girlfriend, Celia. They had started dating shortly after I came back to the show, and as far as I could tell they both adored one another.

"Yeah, hit us with it." Shayne echoed.

"What do you all think about the dolphin boy sketch?" Grady asked. "Should we keep it on the show, or replace it with something new? Be honest."

"Replace it." Shayne said instantly. "Sorry man, but it's getting old."

"Keep it." Rebecca said immediately afterwards. "_I _like it." She glared at Shayne, who rolled his eyes at her. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Shayne and Rebecca had been dating eachother on and off (mostly off) since their plot to get me fired off the show had been discovered. They would date eachother for about a week, then break up and hate eachother for about a month, then get caught making out in a storage closet after they "stepped in there to have a few words". Nobody really paid much attention to their drama at this point. And despite the fact that they had originally teamed up to get me to quit So Random, I didn't really mind them either. Everything had worked out, and that was all in the past now.

"I think we should keep it too." Matthew said, pulling my attention back to the dilemma at hand. "The audience, especially the younger kids, loves it."

"I'm with Matt." Celia said loyally.

"I don't know, I think we should replace it." Audrey said.

"Me too." Bridget added.

"Damien?" Tawni turned her attention to her boyfriend, who hadn't said anything yet. "What do you think, sweetie?" She batted her eyelashes and grinned.

"I think we should...keep it?" Damien said uncertainly, clearly trying to read Tawni's mind, and failing.

"Huh!" Tawni huffed, and folded her arms over her chest. Damien looked a little annoyed, then shrugged.

I looked back and forth between them, frowning a little. I didn't know what was going on with them lately. They had seemed so happy together at first, but it seemed like now they were always on different sides of an issue. Tawni always seemed annoyed with him, and Damien always seemed annoyed that she was annoyed. I sighed, then let it go. I didn't want to see my best friend get hurt by pushing away a great guy, but it really wasn't any of my business. I was _not _going to sonny this up.

"Okay, Grace?" Chad said, directing his question to Nico's girlfriend. "What do you think?"

"Huh? Oh!" She blinked, clearly coming back from thinking about something else. "I think we should replace it."

"Okay," Chad turned to me. "Sonny what do you think." He widened his eyes at me a little in a way that said, _Think fast! _I suddenly realized, whatever I said, either way it was going to be a tie. _Oh no, we did not just waste all this time for nothing. _

"I don't think we should keep it." I said. Tawni cheered. "But I also don't think we should replace it."

"What?" Chad said.

"Look, why don't we just shorten how long it is. Make it a bit instead of a sketch. Then we'll come up with another, slightly shorter sketch to replace the rest of the time we usually do the dolphin boy sketch." I looked around to see what everyone thought of that.

"Sonny, why didn't you say that earlier?" Chad said laughing. "Can we all agree that Sonny's idea is smart so we can all get back to work?" He looked around at everyone, who laughed and nodded.

As everyone started to leave, Chad leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're perfect, you know that? Beautiful _and _smart."

"Awww!" I stood up and put my arms around his neck. "You're not bad yourself you know."

"Well, thank you." Chad started to lean in for a kiss, but stopped when Zora coughed.

"Hey guys, you know we're still here, right?"

"Yeah, and I'm about to lose my lunch." Grady said, but his smile told us he was just joking.

Tawni smacked his arm. "Be nice! They're in love."

"So what? So are you and Damien, and you guys aren't kissing all the time." Zora countered.

"That's different." Tawni said, fiddling with the bracelets on her wrists.

"How is that different?" Nico said.

"It just is!" Tawni snapped, her cheeks turning bright red.

"Woah." Nico lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Can I have my head back please? I think you bit if off there."

I expected Tawni to roll her eyes, but instead, to my surprise, she giggled. "Sorry. Here you go." She mimed picking up an invisible head off the floor and walked over to Nico. She leaned down in front of him and pretended to set his head in place, her hands on either side of his face. When she didn't move away for a second, I glanced at Chad, who shrugged. Tawni and Nico just stared at eachother for a second. If I hadn't known any better, I would almost have said they were having some kind of moment. Then Tawni awkwardly pulled away. Nico coughed and Tawni bent her head so that her hair covered most of her face as she looked over the script. Zora, Grady, Chad and I exchanged looks.

"Okay then." Zora said after a minute of awkward silence. "Now that everybody's heads are on straight, let's get back to work."

Chad glanced at his watch and cringed. "Or not. Sorry guys but I have that meeting with Mr. Condor in a few minutes. I don't want to be late."

"Eh, it's okay." Grady threw down his copy of the script. "It's not like we were getting anything done anyway."

"Good luck with the big man." Nico said, giving Chad a fist bump.

"Yeah, don't get fired!" Zora grinned gleefully as Chad shot her a look.

"Seriously though, good luck." Tawni said softly.

"Everything will be fine. I'm sure he just wants to congratulate you on being one of the best actors at Condor Studios. Not to mention the best boyfriend." I put my arms around him again, and this time I got that kiss.

"Mmm." Chad whispered when we broke apart. "Watermelon flavored lip gloss. My favorite."

I pulled away and swatted at him as Nico, Grady, Tawni, and Zora groaned.

"Get out of here!" I said, playfully shoving him toward the door. He grinned, looking oh so sure of himself, and swaggered out.

"Well aren't you two just adorable." Zora said.

"Yep." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I loved Chad. He was a part of me. Even though we were young, I couldn't help but feel like this was the kind of thing that might last forever. Just the thought of spending the rest of my life with Chad made my pulse race.

"Woah, Sonny, you're ten feet off the ground. Come back to us!" Grady said, jokingly tugging on my arm as if to pull me back to earth.

"What? Oh." I blushed. "Sorry guys."

"I asked if you wanted to grab a snack with us." Grady explained.

"Oh, sure. Let's go." I jumped up, my stomach rumbling at the thought of food. I suddenly remembered the only breakfast I'd eaten was that granola bar. "I'm starving actually."

We all walked to the cafeteria, where we pooled our spare change to buy snacks and drinks from the vending machines. We sat down at one of the tables and started talking about the new sketch idea Zora had come up with. It couldn't have been even twenty minutes later when Chad walked in, looking a little dazed.

"Woah, Chad, are you alright?" Nico said. "You look like just saw a ghost."

Chad nodded, then swallowed. "I sort of did."

"What?" Tawni said. "There's a ghost here!"

"No, not exactly." Chad shook his head, then seemed to really look at me for the first time. "Sonny, we have to talk." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hallway.

"Chad? What is it? Is something wrong?" I studied his face, trying to find some clue as to what was going on. "He didn't- he didn't fire you did he?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that." Chad ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I don't know whether to feel happy or sad... and I'm afraid of what you'll say. But it'll be different this time, I swear."

"What?" I stared at him. "What are you talking about? What will be different?"

"I'm not sure I can tell you. You'll be upset, I know it." Chad glanced at me, looking so nervous I had to laugh.

"Come on, Chad, whatever it is it can't be that life-changing. Just tell me. We'll get through whatever it is together."

To my surprise, Chad leaned in and kissed me, then grabbed both my hands. "Sonny, you're a sweetheart. I love you so much."

"Thank you. I love you too." I smiled at him, the gently pulled one of my hands out of his to touch his face. "But what's going on?"

Chad stared into my eyes, looking torn. Then he sighed. "I guess you'll find out sooner or later anyway. It's best that you hear it from me." He grabbed my hand so that he held both of them again. "Sonny... Mr. Condor called me into his office to tell me... they're bringing Mackenzie Falls back."

_AN: So what did you think? Will Sonny be upset about the Falls coming back? Will the feuding start up all over again? Will Chad turn back into a jerk? And what do you think is up with Tawni? Please review if you liked it or if you're PSYCHED there's a sequel (I am, and I'm the one writing it... is that a bad thing?) and even if you didn't like it, I am always open to constructive criticism. Thanks so much for reading! _


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Okay, so it's been like a day... but I wanted to update again. So here's a new chapter! Yay! Thanks to LOVATICFOREVER, Slinky Flower the Lovatic, and kitkat299 (still love your username, except it makes me hungry for kit kats and unfortunately I don't have any...) for reviewing. You guys made my day. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! _

Sonny's POV:

"What?" I pulled away from Chad without thinking and took a step back. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. They've already given me the first week's script. We'll start shooting next week." He tried to close the distance between us, but I took another step back.

"What about So Random?" I asked, fighting against the urge to freak out. _I did _not _see this coming. _

Chad bit his lip. "See, that's the thing. They're taking me off So Random so I can focus on getting the Falls back on its feet. I'll have to be totally committed to it. There will be lots of public appearances, interviews, meet ups with fans..."

"You're not going to be on So Random anymore?" I repeated, not believing my ears.

"Well, no." Chad took one of my hands in both of his. "Look Sonny, I know this is sudden, and it sucks that we won't be working together anymore, but can you try to see this from my perspective? They're bringing my show back! It's a big deal for me."

"I-I know." I stuttered. "And I'm happy for you... but... but..." I was stunned to feel tears start to form in my eyes. I pulled my hand out of his. "I-I have to go." I turned and started to run down the hallway.

"Sonny, wait!" I heard Chad call behind me, but I didn't stop. I needed some time to think. Think and worry.

Chad's POV:

As I watched Sonny race down the hallway, every part of my body wanted to rush after her. Except my feet. They remained stubbornly glued to the floor as I watched my girlfriend run away, with tears in her eyes. I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache start to come on. To say I had mixed feelings was an understatement. On the one hand, it was Mackenzie Falls! My show! Mr. Condor had spoken of perks, of a raise, even of a clothing line! It sounded amazing. But then again... there were complications. Like the fact that I happened to love my new job on So Random... and the fact that I was dating my gorgeous co-star, Sonny Munroe.

I trudged back to the table where my castmates (for the time being) still sat. Instantly Tawni said, "Where's Sonny?"

I collapsed in the chair Sonny had vacated when she stood up and pounded my head against the table. "Woah, dude!" Nico tapped my shoulder. "Seriously, what's up?"

"Mackenzie Falls is coming back." I muttered, not bothering to raise my head from the table. Just like I had expected, there was a minor explosion.

"WHAT?" Tawni shrieked as loud as she could. Zora spit her coke across the table and Nico fell backwards out of his chair. Grady just stared at me like I'd suddenly grown two extra heads.

"DID YOU SAY MACKENZIE FALLS IS COMING BACK?" Tawni said, still screaming.

"Yes." I said miserably. "And now Sonny hates me."

Nico stood up from the floor and sat back down in his chair speechless. Grady face palmed. Zora wiped coke from her chin and jumped to her feet. "Okay, we need to start organizing our plan of attack now, so we have the advantage. We can start off by toilet papering all their dressing rooms, that's a good, easy, annoying prank. Then we can put salt in their coffee maker and-"

"No, no, no, no!" I said, looking up for the first time. "What are you saying?"

"Chad," Zora explained slowly like I was a little kid, "this is Mackenzie Falls we're talking about. As in, our arch rivals?"

"As in _your _arch rivals. If you haven't forgotten, I'm kind of the Mackenzie part of the Mackenzie Falls." I said sarcastically.

There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Zora sat back down and stared daggers at her pop can. "We have to be friends with them, don't we?"

"Yuck." Tawni said instantly. "Those snobs?"

"Guys!" I said, finally totally losing my patience. "These are my friends you're talking about! Now I know you don't like them, but our shows have more in common now. We can't let that stupid feuding start up again or it will ruin everything!"

"What the heck do our shows have in common now?" Nico asked, eyebrows raised.

"Me." I waited for that to sink in, then continued. "Look, if our shows start feuding again, it will be that much harder for me and Sonny to be together. And it will be that much harder for me to keep being friends with all of you."

"Who says you'll want to be?" Grady said sadly. "Think about it Chad. Before you came on So Random you thought were the most annoying bunch of freaks on the planet. If you go back to being Mr. Chad Dylan Cooper of Mackenzie Falls, you might go right back to thinking that."

I looked around the table. All of them obviously agreed with Grady. "I wouldn't let that happen." I said quietly.

"You might not have much of a choice." Zora said. "Face it Chad, Mackenzie Falls and So Random will always be rivals. You'll have to pick a side sooner or later and honestly, I don't think it will be ours."

"Is that really what you guys think of me?" I looked around the circle, waiting for someone to deny it, but they all avoided my eyes. "Fine." I stood up, hurt that they didn't trust me more. "If you don't believe me, don't believe me. You'll see soon enough. I'm going to find Sonny."

As I started to walk away, Tawni said, "Chad, wait!" I waited, but didn't turn to face them. "Don't you understand how we feel at all? We spent years competing with Mackenzie Falls, and you guys always won. And then rubbed it in our faces. We know you're not like that now, but peer pressure is a powerful thing and..., well, we just want you to be careful. This could get messy really quickly."

I forced myself to nod, then hurried off to find my Sonshine.

* * *

"Sonny?" I tapped gently on her dressing room door. "Are you in there?"

"Yes."

After a second of waiting for her to continue, I realized that was all she was going to say. "Well, could you let me in? The door's locked."

"I know." I heard the tears in her voice, and my heart ached.

"Sonshine, please?" I said, just short of begging. There were another few moments of silence, then I heard the lock click. "Thanks." I said, opening the door. Sonny sat on the couch in the middle of the room, her knees pulled up to her chin. With her red-rimmed eyes and slightly tousled hair, she looked a lot younger than she usually did. She didn't look at me as I came to sit beside her. "Sonny, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared." She said, still not looking at me. "I'm scared everything will go back to being just like it was before. I would hate t-to lose you..." Her lip started to tremble in a way that was both the most adorable and the saddest thing I had ever seen.

"You aren't going to lose me." I put my arm around her and my heart warmed as she snuggled into me. "I love you. Nothing's going to change. I promise."

"That's a pretty big promise." She whispered.

"I know." I kissed her hair and closed my eyes for a moment, just enjoying holding her in my arms. I was so lucky to have Sonny. I wouldn't mess that up for anything.

"And anyway, things will change. You won't be on So Random anymore."

"Okay." I admitted. "You have a point. But that'll be the only thing. We'll all stay friends. You and I will stay together. Everything will be fine."

She raised her head and looked at me. I noticed there were still a few tears on her cheeks and I gently wiped them away with my thumb. "You look beautiful." I said, feeling my heart rate pick up as she stared into my eyes. It wasn't very manly, but everytime I was around Sonny, I still felt like I couldn't breathe.

"No, I don't." She said, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'm a mess. I'm sure my make up is-"

I stopped her by leaning down and kissing her. She kissed me back and wrapped her arms around my neck as I deepened the kiss. In that moment I was sure I was one of the happiest guys on the planet.

She pulled away, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "Okay, okay, I get it, I'm beautiful."

"Never forget it." I gave her another quick peck.

"I won't, not if you're around." She said, coyly returning my kiss.

"Oh good grief guys." I looked up to see Tawni and Zora standing in the doorway, but both of them were smiling. The remark had come from Zora.

"Nope! No grief! Only happiness from this point on young lady!" I said, not caring if I sounded a little goofy.

Sonny giggled. "Yeah! Or we'll have to throw you off the premises!" I laughed as Sonny struck a pose that I'm sure was meant to look threatening, but really just looked cute.

"What's gotten into them?" Zora said, staring at us.

Tawni grinned and shrugged. "Who knows."

Sonny dissolved into giggles again and I stood up, picking her up as I did so. She shrieked with laughter and surprise. "Chad, what are you doing!"

"Capturing you, m'lady!" I said, pushing past Tawni and Zora and into the hallway.

"No! Stop! Zora, Tawni save me!" She yelled, still laughing.

I staggered to the right, then to the left. "Uh oh... I think I might drop you..."

"NO!" She shrieked. I grinned and loosened my grip on her. "AHHHHH! Chad if you drop me so help me I will-"

I lowered myself to my knees and dropped her two inches to the floor. I wasn't expecting the difference that made in _my _balance though, and I fell forward on top of her. We lay there stunned for a second, then burst out laughing. In the middle of our laughter, I kissed her again.

"Well, isn't this a pretty picture." A voice above us said. We broke apart and quickly scrambled to our feet. The speaker was a blonde girl with brown eyes, wearing skinny jeans and a skimpy red top. "Oh, don't let me interrupt." She continued, smiling smugly.

"No," Sonny said, still trying to control the last of her giggles, "we were, um, just goofing off."

"So I see." She said, scanning Sonny from top to bottom, then shrugging as if she didn't understand something. Then she turned to me. "Ohmigosh!" She instantly squealed. "You're Chad Dylan Cooper!"

"Uh, yeah, I am." I said, confused. "Do I know you?"

"If you do it's only by reputation." She said, and wiggled her eyebrows. I felt Sonny stiffen beside me. "I'm new to Hollywood, but I got a big break... I'm the newest member of your show, Mackenzie Falls."

"What?" I said, astonished. Marshall had mentioned that quite a few new cast members would be added to the show, but I found it surprising he had hired someone so new to the acting world.

"Yep." She smiled at me in a way that made my skin crawl. "I'm Piper. Piper Cleargate. Mackenzie's new love interest."

* * *

One week later

Sonny's POV:

"There's so many of them..." I laughed at Tawni's bewildered expression.

"Tawni, Chad told me they're basically recasting the entire show. You have to admit, most of the actors on Mackenzie Falls weren't that good. Except Chad of course."

Tawni laughed dryly. "Of course." Then she turned back to staring at the the newest actors employed by Condor Studios... otherwise known as Chad's new Mackenzie Fall's cast. We were sitting on the new Mackenzie Fall's set, watching as new arrivals walked through the door. I had to admit, the cast looked promising. Most of them looked comfortable in a their new environment, and they were talking and laughing together in a way that actually didn't scream snob in any way.

Chad walked up to me and pecked me on the lips. "Hey Shortstack."

"Hey Chaddy." I shot back. Since Chad repeatedly called me Shortstack, a nickname I hated, I had taken to calling him Chaddy recently to get back at him. Unfortunately, he actually seemed to sort of like it. Oh well.

"How are you doing?"

"Pretty well. Your cast looks good so far." _Especially since that girl Piper isn't here yet. _"Are you tired of meeting people yet."

He laughed. "A little."

I nodded. "I understand. Hey, thanks for inviting me and Tawni here today. I'm glad we're doing this. No more feud right?"

"No more feud." He nodded. A few days ago we had sat down and had a serious talk with the rest of the So Random cast and had agreed, as a group, not to play one single prank on the new Mackenzie Falls cast. After all, like I had said, we really had nothing against these people. These weren't Chad's old castmembers, who had teased us and walked all over us. They were just hopeful young actors and actresses, like us. It was like starting all over again. _Maybe this really will work out. _I smiled hopefully.

"Woah." Tawni pointed at the door. Both me and Chad turned to look.

"Oh. My. Gosh." I laughed aloud. "Zora is going to _freak_." Wesley, also as Mini Mac during his first and last time guest starring on Mackenzie Falls, was walking calmly through the door. "You gave him a part on the show?"

Chad shook his head. "Mr. Condor did. But I'm happy to have him. I know he sent you that letter of apology after what happened, and he's done some pretty big projects since he was the Guest Star That Didn't Star on the Falls. He'll be good publicity for the show. You're okay with that right?"

"Oh yeah, _I'm _fine with it." I nodded. "But Zora might not be."

Chad looked worried, then laughed it off. "I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, she said afterwards that she didn't like him anymore. And I doubt they'll even meet more than once."

"You might be right." I admitted. Just then I noticed someone else in the new Mackenzie Falls crowd that I knew. Well, sort of.

"Jacquelyn!" I got up and ran over to her. "Hi! Do you remember me? I ran into you about a week ago?"  
"How could I forget?" She smiled. "Honestly, I'm flattered you remembered me!"

"So you're on Mackenzie Falls now?" I asked.

"Yep. Actually, the day I ran into you I had just gotten out of the meeting with Mr. Condor where he told me I was on the show. That's why I wasn't looking where I was going. I was too busy texting all my friends to tell them!" She looked around and sighed with happiness. "I've been trying to get a big break for so long. This is like a dream come true."

"I'm happy for you!" I said, a little surprised to find that I was being completely sincere. Unlike Piper, Jacquelyn seemed genuine and sweet. Even her hair looked more real. It was a beautiful golden blonde, but Piper's was an unnatural bleached shade that looked nothing like any natural color I had ever seen.

"Thank you." Jacquelyn said, smiling. "It means a lot to hear you say that. I love So Random. It always cracks me up!" She looked around then leaned forward conspiratorially. "So tell the truth, do you like Mackenzie Falls?"

"She better, or I won't be buying her dinner tonight." Chad came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I rolled my eyes at him, even though he couldn't see. "I do love Mackenzie Falls!" I said honestly. "And I'm not just saying that so that my stingy boyfriend will buy me a nice dinner."

"Stingy!" He scoffed. "Me? Stingy?"

I laughed and turned to face him. "Okay, not stingy. But you are blackmailing me!"

"Oh, yeah, that's true." He said, grinning. Jacquelyn laughed.

"You two are so cute together!" She looked a little sheepish. "I'll be honest, I'm a huge Channy fan."

"Hey! Me too!" Chad said, feigning shock. "It's a small world after all!" Jacquelyn cracked up.

"What's so funny?" We all turned to see Piper standing there, dressed in a tank top with a plunging neckline and a skirt so short I almost blushed for her.

"Chad." Jacquelyn said promptly. "Chad is hilarious."

"Now, don't tell him that too many times." I interjected. "He'll get a big head."

"Chad? Get a big head? Oh no... never!" Piper purred, running a hand down his arm.

Chad shifted a little uncomfortably. "Oh it's possible Piper. But m'lady and my friends keep me grounded."

"Uh-huh." Piper didn't sound very convinced. I tried not to let her get to me.

Thankfully, Jacquelyn stepped in. "Hi, I'm Jacquelyn. Jacquelyn Hawthorne."

"Piper Cleargate." She gave Jacquelyn's hand a half-hearted shake.

"It's nice to mee-" Jacquelyn began, but was interrupted by Mr. Condor's loud voice.

"Okay, who did this!" He walked in, holding a large piece of paper followed by a very angry looking Grady and Nico, who were soaked from head to toe.

"Who did what?" Wesley asked, looking confused.

"Someone rigged a bucket full of water over the door at the So Random prop house. Nico and Grady got soaked." Mr. Condor said angrily. "I will not tolerate these kind of shenanigans at my studio. You are all professional actors and actresses. You should know better."

"How do you know it was one of us?" A guy with dark hair and green eyes said.

"Because _this_," Mr. Condor flipped the piece of paper around, "was at the scene of the crime." On the paper in big letters it said:

**Hope you enjoyed that complimentary shower. Consider it a free gift from your new friends at Mackenzie Falls. You'll never be #1 Randoms! **

As I finished reading the homemade sign I felt dread fill the pit of my stomach. "Um Nico, Grady, did Zora know this happened?"

Nico looked confused. "Yeah, she saw us right afterwards and asked what happened. We just told her the truth. That the Mackenzie Falls people are out to get us again."

A couple of people in the room scoffed, but I continued. "Have you seen Zora since you told her what happened?"

"Well, no." Grady said. "She said she had some things she needed to take care of." Sudden understanding dawned on his face. "Oh. Crap."

The words were barely out of his mouth when from somewhere above there was a cry of, "READY? AIM! FIRE!" I looked up and watched in horror as tons of water balloons rained down on us from the skylight directly above our heads. As the first balloon exploded on its horrified victim, I realized the balloons weren't filled with water. Instead, it looked like... mayonnaise?

My last thought before one of the balloons hit me, covering me in greasy mayonnaise was, o_h Zora... you've outdone yourself this time. _

_AN: So what did you think? Please review if you liked it! Oh, and if you have any particular character you haven't see much of yet in the story that you want to hear more from, let me know and I will try my hardest to work them into the next chapter or so!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! Here's the new chapter! This one took forever to write and it is literally packed to the limit with plot exposition. :p It's also pretty long, so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you SO MUCH to the people who reviewed! XxDiamondJAInTheRough: Thank you! I'm so glad you love the story, but I warn you, Piper's only going to get worse. Slinky Flower the Lovatic: I OBEYED YOUR COMMAND! Here is the next chapter! kitkat299: Uh oh, I'm definitely not getting a kit kat for this chapter either then! Prepare yourself for another cliffhanger! :) And did Piper pull the pranks? You'll have to wait and see! Lulivatic: Thank you! I'm glad you liked Just Enemies and this story. I really love that you read Just Enemies too. You're my new favorite! :p Oh, and I will try to fit Mel in here somewhere! It's just difficult because they are so many characters to keep track of and I want to give them all a little piece of the story. But I will try! Peaceluvar: You like bad boy Chad? Actually... me too! It's a little weird writing him so sweet. But I feel like it makes sense that he changed a lot. But there may be some bad boy Chad in the future! :) KellyTheLovatic: Hi! It's been awhile! And I totally understand about the updating thing. If you stop for awhile it's so hard to get started again. And I'm glad you approve of my Channy moments! :p I actually always try to slip a little bit of cute into every chapter! BringingTheFun: Haha your review made me laugh.I'm really glad you liked that line. Did it sound better in the feminine or the manly voice? Thank you SO MUCh for reviewing (and that goes for all of you!) Okay, okay, I'll stop talking to you guys now and let you actually, you know, READ the chapter. Hope you enjoy! Please review!  
_

Sonny's POV:

Sitting in Mr. Condor's office is a scary experience on all it's own. But sitting in Mr. Condor's office with your entire cast and the entire Mackenzie Fall's cast with the strong smell of mayonnaise still hanging in the air is even scarier. _We're going to get fired. I know it. _

"I'm sorry guys." Zora said, glancing around at all of us.

Tawni, who took a thirty minute shower to get all of the mayonnaise out of her hair, ignored her, but I reached over and patted her arm. "You didn't know we were down there Zora. Let alone Mr. Condor. It's not really your fault."

"Yes it is." Piper scoffed. "If she hadn't pulled that ridiculous prank we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Piper!" Jacquelyn said, giving her a look.

Piper shrugged. "It's true."

"Yeah," said a guy I had heard Chad call Drew earlier, "Piper's got a point. Look, I for one knew nothing about the prank that was pulled on those guys." He gestured to Nico and Grady. "But I still got covered in mayonnaise by this little psycho chick over here."

"Hey!" Wesley said suddenly, "She's not a psycho chick. I actually thought the prank was pretty cool." He flashed a smile at Zora, but she just rolled her eyes and looked away. Wesley's smile faded.

"Just cut it out guys." Chad said wearily. "Fighting won't make anything better."

"I'm still a little confused as to what exactly happened." Matthew put in. He and the other members of So Random who hadn't been present at the Mackenzie Falls set during the ambush had been rounded up and ordered to Mr. Condor's office too. Now they just all sat there looking worried.

"Well, Mr. Bailey, I'll tell you." Mr. Condor said, coming into the office. We all sat up straighter. "Mayhem. That's what happened." He sat down, folded his hands on his desk and glared at us. I glanced at Chad, but he looked just as worried as I felt.

"Some of you may not know this, but the cast of So Random and the cast of Mackenzie Fall's have been feuding for years. I hoped that by replacing most of the original cast, we could avoid the petty fighting this time around. I guess I was wrong." He stared hard at Zora, who blushed bright red and looked down at the ground. "I've been thinking about how to handle this situation. I had a long time to think while I took a shower and washed all the mayonnaise out of my ears." Drew snickered and was rewarded with a venomous look from Mr. Condor. He abruptly stopped smiling. "My first instinct was to fire you all." He looked around to see if that had sunk in. If our terrified faces were any indication, it had. He nodded, pleased at our reaction. "But, I've decided that was a little drastic. So Random is one of our most successful shows here at Condor Studios and I have high hopes for this new season of Mackenzie Falls. So for the time being, your jobs here are secure." Everyone sighed in relief and I felt my heart rate begin to slow. "But..." Mr. Condor said, and the tension in the room heightened again. "I cannot allow these silly pranks to continue. They're distracting and can get downright dangerous. You all are going to have to learn to work together." He leaned back in his chair, his expression daring us to protest. No one said a word. "First of all, I've arranged for you to have a sleepover."

"Um, what?" Chad said, looking confused. "A sleepover sir?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Here at the studio tonight. It'll be a chance for you to get to know eachother more and find things you have in common. And," he shot a stern look at all the guys in the room, "of course the girls and boys will be sleeping in separate rooms." I hid a smile.

"Is that all?" Rebecca said. "You just want us to hang out together tonight? That shouldn't be so bad."

"No that is not all." He said, and everyone in the room groaned. He quirked an eyebrow. "Don't sound so excited. I'm actually giving you a great honor."

"Honor?" I echoed.

"Yes, Miss Munroe, _honor_. You're familiar with the term I suppose?" He said dryly. I nodded. "You, both the Mackenzie Falls cast and the So Random cast, will be in charge of planning Condor Studios Golden Spotlight ball this year."

I gasped, along with most of the other people in the room. The ball, held once every two years, was one of the biggest charity events in Hollywood. Hundreds of celebrities attended and together they raised close to five million dollars for charity. Mr. Condor took a personal pride in each successful ball, and it was one of the biggest reasons that Condor Studios had become an internationally known name. My mind reeled just thinking about the work we had cut out for us.

"Sir... are you sure?" Chad blurted. "That's a pretty big risk you're taking."

"See, that's the thing." Mr. Condor stared us all down. "It's not going to be a risk. I expect perfection. Anything less and there will be consequences for all of you. Understand?" I gulped and nodded, along with everybody else. Mr. Condor smiled. "Fantastic. The ball is in two weeks."

Nico let out a strangled noise. Everyone shifted nervously. I decided to speak up. "Two weeks, Mr. Condor? That won't give us much time to-"

"I know Miss Munroe." He cut me off. "There will be no time for fooling around or even to figure out what you dislike about eachother. I'm counting on this to distract you from anymore foolishness. The ball is to be held on August twentieth."

Instantly Chad spoke up, before the date even registered with me. "Mr. Condor, that's Sonny's birthday."

"Is it Mr. Cooper?" Mr. Condor said. "Thank you for reminding me. We'll order a cake."

"No, I meant, do you think we could reschedule? The ball will take up so much of the day there won't be time for any celebrating. And it's her eighteenth birthday."

"Chad, it's fine." I interjected as Mr. Condor frowned. "It's just a birthday. The ball _and our jobs _are much more important."

"See, Mr. Cooper? Listen to your girlfriend. She's very smart." Mr. Condor shuffled some papers around on his desk, then looked back up at us. "Oh, you may go."

We all stood up, and, feeling dazed, left the office. As soon as the door shut behind us, Chad looked =at me, and smiled halfheartedly. I shook my head. "We are so screwed."

* * *

"We are _so _screwed!" Tawni repeated what I had said earlier when we got back to our dressing room. She flopped down on our couch. "Seriously! We can't pull together the biggest charity event in Hollywood in two weeks! It's just impossible! And especially not with those Mackenzie Falls troublemakers throwing a wrench in the works. We're all going to get fired!"

I rolled my eyes at her near hysteria and patted her shoulder. "Hey, at least we still have our jobs for the moment!"

"Yeah, great." Tawni said slightly sarcastically.

"Come on Tawni cheer up. Everything's gonna be fi-" Suddenly my phone rang. I picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. "Hey, it's my dad! Hold that thought, I've got to take this." I turned away from Tawni and hit the talk button. "Hi Dad!"

"Hey Sonshine!" My dad's voice, strong and loving, made my whole day seem brighter. "How are you sweetie?"

"Um." I glanced over my shoulder at Tawni, who was still lying on the couch, mumbling something about unemployment. "I'm doing pretty well. It's been a bit... hectic around here though."

"Well, that's show biz. How's Chad doing?"

"He's doing great. His show is coming back, so he's been really excited about that."

"Hmmm. And how do you feel about that?" My dad said, surprising me, as always, with his ability to read between the lines.

"I'm happy for him." I said honestly, not really wanting to go into it. "Most of the new Mackenzie Falls people seem really nice." I didn't bother mentioning Zora had just soaked them all in mayonnaise. No point in boring him with all the gory details, right? Anyway, it was probably time to change the subject. "So how's Lisa?" Since my dad had told me that he was marrying his therapist, Lisa Tate, I'd slowly adjusted to the fact that my family circles were about to shift again. I wasn't exactly overjoyed about it, but my dad loved Lisa, and Lisa loved my dad, and I was happy for them. But Lisa wasn't my mom, and she never would be. I had made that clear.

"Great! She just bought her wedding dress." He paused for a minute, then cleared his throat. "We also set a date for the wedding."

I tightened my grip on the phone a little. "Really? When?"

"About three weeks from today. August 28th. I know it's sort of last minute, but we've been planning for this wedding for six months now."

"Wow. That's really soon." Realizing how that sounded, I tried to back track. "But it's so exciting! I can't wait to see my bridesmaid dress."  
I heard my dad sigh, as if he had been holding his breath. _Poor Dad. He's trying to make this easy for me. _"Thank you Sonshine. Lisa and I were thinking you could fly down on the 25th for a final dress fitting. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Marshall will let me take some time off."

"And feel free to bring any of your friends along too. We'd love to see Chad again."

"Thanks, Dad. I might just take you up on that." I pulled my phone away from my ear for a second and glanced at the time. "Oops, Dad, I'm sorry, but I really got to run. I've got to get back to work."

"Okay Sonny, I'll let you go then. See you soon darlin'. Love you."

"Love you too Dad. Bye." I hit the end button and walked over to Tawni, pulling her up off the couch. "Come on Tawni, we've got to head back to the prop house to do some actual work for the first time today."

Tawni groaned. "How can I concentrate on work when our jobs are at stake?" Then, realizing what she had just said, we both started to laugh.

"Come on, let's go." I said, still laughing as I pushed her towards the door. "We've got to get home early so we can get ready for our sleepover with Mackenzie Falls, remember?"

"Ugh, how could I forget!" Tawni sighed as we walked out the door. "I guarantee that something bad is going to happen. I feel it in my bones."

I laughed and rolled my eyes, but secretly I couldn't help but agree. _Whatever happens, its bound to be interesting... _

* * *

Chad's POV:

I wouldn't have admitted it for the world, but I was sort of excited for the sleepover tonight. As I pulled up in front of the studio and grabbed my overnight bag, I caught myself whistling. I knew there were about a billion things that could go wrong, but I couldn't help but look forward to spending time with my new and old friends here at Condor Studios, not to mention getting some quality time with m'lady. It sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me.

I looked across the parking lot and noticed Sonny, Tawni, and Jacquelyn getting out of Sonny's car. "Hey girls!" I waved to them. Sonny waved back, then ran over to me and gave me a powerhouse kiss. Chills raced up and down my arms. When she pulled away I stared at her, astonished. She grinned. "What was that for?" I said, blushing as my voice cracked like a thirteen year old boy's.

"Just in case this sleepover tonight goes up in flames, I want to let you know ahead of time that I love you!"

"Well, don't worry, I got the message." I smiled and put my arm around her as Tawni and Jacquelyn walked up, both holding small duffel bags and sleeping bags.

Jacquelyn smiled at me. "Hey Chad."

"Hey Jacquelyn. Did you ride with Sonny and Tawni?"

"Yep. Sonny was nice enough to pick me up because my car's in the shop." She made a face. "I hate it when my car breaks down. It's such a hassle."

"Yeah." I nodded, ignoring the fact that I had my own personal mechanic on call every moment of every day. No point in rubbing that in her face. "So Tawni, are you excited for the sleepover tonight?"

Tawni groaned. "I'm about as excited as I am when I have to go to the dentist." She glanced at Jacquelyn. "No offense Jackie."

"None taken." Jacquelyn smiled. "I'm not that excited either to be honest. But I'm lucky to be here, so I guess I'll make the best of it."

"Excellent point! We're all lucky to be here. And I mean, it's just one night. What could go wrong?"  
Sonny smiled. "Now let's head on in and brave the chaos together!"

I laughed as we started to walk toward the door. "Sounds good to me."

Sonny's POV:

"Let's play spin the bottle!" My stomach clenched as Piper grinned at Chad. Tonight she wore a bright pink satin nightgown that reached to about her mid-thigh and hung off one of her shoulders provocatively. Black lace spilled over part of the nightgown, drawing attention to her curves, which I thought were a little too prominent to be totally real. The whole gown covered about one-third of her and could almost be called lingerie. Sitting next to her I felt very young and covered up in my turquoise t-shirt and turquoise and purple plaid pajama pants. I wasn't sure I was totally comfortable with playing spin the bottle anyway, but I knew I definitely wasn't okay with Piper playing it with my boyfriend. Especially not when she was dressed like a Victoria Secret model.

Unfortunately for me, the idea caught on. "Yeah, let's play!" Wesley said, his eyes briefly flitting to Zora. I couldn't help but smile. Wesley had clearly been surprised to see Zora looking so grown up now, and had been trying to catch her eye all day. She remained stubbornly unaware of him though.

"Yeah, lets." Tawni set aside her small bag of mini-oreos. "I'm bored out of my mind just sitting here."

"Let's all play." A Mackenzie Falls guy sitting next to Jacquelyn scooted forward into the circle and gestured to his castmates. "It'll be fun!"

Slowly, everyone formed a circle and Nico grabbed one of the empty glass soda bottles from a near by table. Finally, I reluctantly sat down too in between Jacquelyn and Nico. "Who wants to go first?" Grady said, looking around the circle.

"I will." Rebecca volunteered. "Here I go." With an expert flick of her wrist, she sent the bottle spinning around and around and around. At last it stopped, its cap pointed directly at Damien. Rebecca giggled and Damien flushed and glanced at Tawni. She shrugged and smiled. He nodded and Rebecca leaned forward, claiming a short, chaste peck from Damien. I saw Shayne ball his hands into fists. His expression was stormy as Rebecca pulled away and flashed him a self-satisfied smile.

"My turn!" Wesley said triumphantly. Carefully he sent the bottle spinning, obviously hoping it would land on Zora. Zora meanwhile, kept her gaze fixed on the floor, looking a little embarrassed. When the bottle stopped, its cap was pointed at Andie, one of the Mackenzie Falls girls. Wesley looked crestfallen, but obediently leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Andie, though several years older than him, giggled like a little girl and tossed her head. I couldn't help but think she sort of looked like an airhead type.

"Is it my turn?" Jacquelyn said softly, looking embarrassed.

"Yep." Chad said kindly. "Don't worry, its just a game Jacquelyn. No pressure."

She nodded, took a deep breath and spun the bottle. It only spun once though, and landed directly on the guy sitting next to her. He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

She leaned forward and kissed him. The guy's eyes widened as their lips connected, but then his eyes were shut and he kissed her gently back. Twenty seconds later or so she pulled away, blushing bright red. Tawni clapped. "Woo! Go Jacquelyn!" Jacquelyn laughed and buried her face in her hands, clearly very embarrassed. The poor guy opened and shut his mouth a few times, then stuck out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Logan. I really, really, really feel like we should be friends." Everyone in the circle laughed, causing him to blush slightly too.

Jacqueyln chuckled and shook his hand. "I'm Jacquelyn. Nice to, um, meet you."

"Nice to kiss you too." He looked around as everyone laughed again. "What? What did I say?"

"Nothing man." Shayne said. "But you might want to let go of her hand now."

"Oh!" Logan jerked his hand away, his face coloring again. "My bad."

"No problem." Jacquelyn said shyly. They both glanced at eachother, then looked away smiling.  
"Oh, please stop the adorable fest and take your turn Sonny." Zora said good-naturedly. I laughed and spun the bottle, hoping against hope it would land on Chad. But I was out of luck.

Matthew blushed. "Sorry, Sonny."

I laughed. "It's okay, don't apologize." I leaned forward and just barely pressed my lips to his before quickly pulling back. I saw Chad and Celia smile.

Sitting back, I glanced over at Nico. "Your turn!"

"Yeah, and you're in luck. Grace isn't here yet, so nobody's going to get their feelings hurt." Shayne joked. Nico rolled his eyes and spun the bottle.

I could have almost sworn a hush fell over the room when the bottle stopped, it's cap aiming directly at Tawni. I looked over at Chad, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows. Everyone seemed to be waiting for her response. I was dreading it. The Tawni I knew would rather die then kiss Nico Harris, even if it was just a game. The silence stretched on a few seconds longer before Tawni laughed and said, "So, are you going to kiss me or not?"

Nico looked surprised, then he grinned and leaned forward. As their lips connected, for some reason I felt my stomach clench. _I don't know what it is... but something about this feels all wrong. _My suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later when instead of breaking apart, they moved closer as the kiss lengthened and deepened. I blinked, hardly believing what I was seeing with my own eyes. _Tawni Hart is kissing Nico Harris. And they're both obviously enjoying it. A lot. _I looked over at Damien. He was staring daggers at Nico, and his fists were clenched at his sides. _Uh oh... _

"What the heck is going on here?" Tawni and Nico jumped apart. Grace was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, her eyes full of anger and hurt.

Instantly Nico was on his feet. "Grace, honey, we were playing spin the bottle! It's not what it looks like. We were just playing a game!"

"No, Nico Harris, it was exactly what it looked like. That wasn't a friendly peck on the lips... that was... that was..." She trailed off, tears shining in her eyes.

Nico moved toward her and grabbed her hand. "Babe, I-"

"Don't touch me!" She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "I'm not stupid Nico, I can see it. You've had a crush on that stuck-up diva over there for months now... I can't believe you would do this to me!"

"Tawni?" Nico stared at her incredulously. "You think I like Tawni?"

"Not think. Know." Grace said, her lip still trembling, but her voice stronger. "Look, Nico, maybe this is a good thing. It gives me the perfect opener to tell you, to tell you all, actually. I'm leaving So Random." The room was so deathly quiet you could have heard a pin drop. "Actually, I'm not just leaving So Random. I'm leaving Condor Studios. I'm leaving Hollywood. I'm going to New York. I got accepted into the dance program at Julliard. I'm leaving next week."

"Grace... that's great-" Nico started to say, but she cut him off.

"Don't pretend Nico." She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell anybody I was applying, but I didn't even think I'd have a chance. I guess I have more potential than I thought. But the thing is..." she sighed and started to tear up again, "I don't think I can handle a long distance relationship like that. And I don't think you could either." She shot Tawni a pointed look, but Tawni was staring down at her hands.

"No, Grace, please, we'll work it out. I'll fly out to see you every weekend if you want. We'll stay in touch!" Nico said, just short of pleading.

Grace reached up and touched his face gently. A single tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm sorry Nico... I just can't. I've thought a lot about this. That's why I've been so distracted lately. And I think it's best for both of us to just move on. But I promise I'll never forget you." She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the cheek. Then she turned to the rest of us. "I already talked to Marshall about leaving the show. I just came tonight to say goodbye to you all. I'll miss So Random, but dancing is my dream. I hope you'll understand I have to chase it." She looked around the circle we had formed, as if memorizing every face. "Goodbye everyone." She walked to the door, then turned around and whispered, "Goodbye Nico." And then she was gone.

In the silence that followed, Matthew quietly picked up the bottle and set it back on the coffee table. Nico turned and, without saying anything to anyone, walked over, picked it up and threw it at the far wall, where it shattered into a million pieces. Then he stalked out.

There was a long silence. Then Damien said, "Tawni, we need to talk."

* * *

"So what did you think of all that drama earlier?" Jacquelyn whispered quietly to me as we got ready for bed.

I sighed. "I don't even know what to think at this point." I glanced over at Tawni, who was quietly brushing out her long blonde hair. She and Damien had gone off on their own and had a long conversation. They had come back hand in hand, both looking calm. However, ever since then Tawni seemed to be in some kind of daze. As for the rest of us, the party hadn't really been able to recover after the disastrous game of spin the bottle, so we had all decided to go ahead and settle in for the night. The girls had headed to my and Tawni's dressing room while the boys had taken their stuff over to Chad's. We'd laid out all our sleeping bags, then slipped out the cafeteria, where we met up with the boys to buy drinks and snacks and just talk. That had probably been the most fun part of the evening, but there had still been some tense awkwardness going on, even during the lightest moments.

"So do you think Damien dumped Tawni?" Piper said, obnoxiously loud. "I would have, if I were him."

"I don't think so. I think they worked out." I said, not wanting to discuss this with her. I moved to my dressing room table where I started to take off my make up. A few minutes later, Jacquelyn joined me.

"I'm sorry about Piper. She's a pill."

"It's okay. I've known lots of girls like her. They're just dying to be the center of attention." I smiled at Jacquelyn. "It's not your fault anyway. Just because she's part of the Mackenzie Falls cast doesn't mean you're responsible for her behavior."

"I know." Jacquelyn sighed. "But I still wish she'd be nicer. I hate all this fighting."

"Yeah..." I sighed too. "I don't know how we're going to plan this ball thing together."

"Me either." She admitted.

"Whenever you two get finished being best friends for life, the rest of us are ready to go to bed over here." Piper snapped. I wondered if she was offended that we'd avoided talking to her. Or was she just naturally unpleasant?

"Oops! Sorry!" Jacquelyn said sweetly. "We didn't mean to keep everybody up."

I moved to the light switch. "Okay, everybody, climb in your sleeping bags, I'm turning off the lights." I flipped the light switch and moved toward my sleeping bag as the other girls started to climb into theirs. I stuck my feet in, and prepared to snuggle down when suddenly a piercing scream erupted from the other side of the room. In the next instant, the room was filled with screams. I leaped out of my sleeping bag and rushed for the light switch, running into several people as I did so. "What's going on?" I yelled as I flipped the switch and light filled the room.

"Snake!" Celia screamed, sobbing as she pointed at her sleeping bag. A small green garter snake slithered near the opening.

"Ouch!" Tawni said, rubbing her backside. "Somebody put something pointy in mine! It really stings!"

"Mine stinks." Rebecca unzipped her sleeping bag and a dozen pairs of used gym socks tumbled out.

"Gross!" Courtney, one of the Mackenzie Falls girls, said.

"Mine was filled with glue... and honey?" Zora pointed at her pajama pants, which were coated with a slimy, light yellow mixture that looked very, very, sticky.

"Cold oatmeal in mine." Bridget shuttered. "I hate squishy things!"

"SPIDER!" Audrey screamed, pointing at an almost comically large spider peeking out of her sleeping bag.

Jacquelyn leaned down and picked it up. "Audrey! It's fake. It's just the squishy, gross toy kind you can buy at stores. See?" She held the spider towards her, but Audrey still screamed.

"Does your have anything in it Sonny?" Tawni asked, still wincing.  
I pulled open my sleeping bag and glanced inside. "Hot rocks. Good thing I only put my feet in. That could have really hurt." I frowned. "This isn't an innocent, harmless little prank. Someone is deliberately targeting the Randoms. Do any of you girls from Mackenzie Falls have anything in your sleeping bags?"

"No." Jacquelyn said after checking hers. "I don't."

"Neither do I." All the other girls admitted.

At that instant, the snake moved towards Celia and she screamed again, still crying hysterically. The next instant, the guys rushed in. "What's going on in here?" Chad asked, glancing around. "We heard screaming. Sonny are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I nodded. "But not everyone else is."

Matthew quickly grabbed the snake and threw it out the window. Then he took Celia in his arms as she started to calm down. "Who did this?" He said angrily. "This isn't funny."

"Well neither was Zora dousing us in mayonnaise." Drew groused, but stopped when Chad shot him a warning look.

"You've got nettles in your sleeping bag." Damien said after checking to see what had hurt Tawni. "That could sting for awhile."

"Nettles? Who would do something like that?" Jacquelyn looked around at her castmates. "I can't believe this."

"Will anyone admit to having pulled this prank?" Chad asked. He stared down everyone in the room, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him before. "This is serious guys." No one stepped forward. After a minute, Chad sighed. "Look, we can't tell Mr. Condor about this."

Piper nodded. "We'd lose our jobs for sure."

"I hate to let whoever did this get away with it, but it looks like for right now, that's the way it has to be." Chad put his arm around me protectively. "But I think you should all know right now, that the Randoms are my friends. And I don't like people to mess with my friends. If I find out who did this, there's going to be consequences for that person."

"Why are you taking their side Chad? They pranked us too." Drew pointed out.

"I'm not taking anyone's side!" Chad said. "I just want you to know how I feel. That's it."

He glanced around one last time, as if giving the culprit one last chance to say something. When everyone remained silent he motioned to the sleeping bags. "Come on guys, let's help the girls clean out their sleeping bags and we can head back to our own room."

As everyone started to pick up the mess the mysterious Mackenzie Falls pranker had made, I noticed a piece of paper lying beside the hot rocks in my sleeping bag. I picked it up and read the message. It said:

**Tell Zora she's not the only one who knows how to pull a prank. Mackenzie Falls and So Random don't mix Sonny. You can't mix oil and water and you can't mix winners and losers. Just you wait and see, So Random is going to be so over. **

I knew the note was silly and childish but for some reason I couldn't help the the chill that raced down my spine. Whoever was pulling these pranks, they weren't doing it for fun. They were trying to drag the two shows apart. And if they succeeded, Chad and I would be dragged apart too.

Chad walked up to me and I quickly crumpled the note in my hands. He pulled me into his arms and whispered into my ear, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." It was the first time I'd lied to him.

* * *

It wasn't really surprising to me that I couldn't sleep. Not after everything that had happened. I lay there in the dark and listened to the slow, steady breathing of the girls around me, some from a hit comedy show, some from a no-doubt-soon-to-be-a-hit drama show, and tried to think of calm things, happy things. Things that had nothing to do with Tawni or Nico, or feuds, or pranks, or gigantic charity balls a group of teens were supposed to pull together in two weeks. But it was pretty useless. The only happy thing I could think of was bunnies, and you can only think about bunnies so long. They hop around. They eat carrots. They twitch their noses. They're cute. The end.

I was almost ready to just accept the fact that I wasn't going to get any sleep, when I heard the rustle of someone getting up. I tensed as I saw Tawni climb out of her sleeping bag and glance around, then silently move towards the door. I waited until I heard her footsteps going down the hallway, then I quietly pushed back my sleeping bag and stood up too. For all I knew, Tawni was just going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water, but I might as well check just in case. I really hoped she wasn't planning on getting back at the Mackenzie Falls cast for the earlier prank.

I followed her silently down the hall, feeling a little guilty about trailing my best friend, but convincing myself it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. To my surprise, instead of heading towards the bathroom or even the cafeteria, she seemed to be going to the So Random prop house. I waited until she walked in the door, then crept up to the doorway and peeked in.

Instantly, Tawni stopped short, and I was afraid she'd somehow heard me, when I noticed she was staring at someone already sitting on the couch. Nico.

"Hey. I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone else would be in here." She said, sounding more than a little awkward.

"It's okay." He said quietly. "I just needed some time to think."

"Me too." She admitted. "But I'll go find some other place to do it."

He shrugged. "Why? We can both think in the same room, can't we?"

"I guess." She hesitated, then went to sit on the couch beside him. For a few minutes they were silent. I felt terrible for spying on them and was about to sneak away when I heard my name.

"What do you think of Chad and Sonny?" Tawni asked suddenly.

"Like as individuals or as a couple?"

"As a couple, I guess." Tawni said. She broke eye contact with him and studied her hands in her lap. "Their relationship is really special you know."

"It is? How do you mean?" Nico said, his voice quiet. He was looking at her with a small smile on his lips.

"They really love eachother. It's not just a game or a spur of the moment thing for them. They really care about eachother and want to be together." Tawni glanced at Nico. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah... I guess I do..." Nico said slowly. "Like, they have something we don't." He blushed. "I didn't mean we like as in '_we'. _I meant both of us... separately."

"Of course." Tawni agreed, laughing a little nervously. After a second of silence she continued. "I want what they have."

"You do?" Nico sounded genuinely surprised. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I just meant that you're Tawni Hart! You could have any guy you wanted. But you want a steady, genuine relationship like Sonny and Chad's?"

"Of course." Tawni bit her lip. "And I couldn't have _any _guy I wanted."

"Really? That's news to me." Nico laughed.

"I couldn't have you." Tawni said. I almost gasped.

Nico's laughter died away. "Tawni..."

"What? It's true. I couldn't." She smiled at him, but her eyes looked sad.

"Like you would even want me if you could have me." Nico said lightly, but his tone didn't match his eyes.

"Look, I know you hate me." Tawni said, out of the blue. "But I just wanted to say I'm really, really sorry about what happened with Grace."

"It wasn't your fault. She was leaving anyway." Nico sighed.

"But you still hate me." Tawni said quietly.

"No. I would never hate you Tawni. I mean sure, you've driven me crazy in the past, but you're not the same as you used to be. You're not such a... a diva anymore."

"Really?" Tawni said. "You don't hate me?" She leaned forward and clutched his arm, looking like his answer meant the world to her.

"Of course not." Nico said, staring at her. They were very close now. Suddenly I saw his gaze slide down to her lips and my breath caught. _Is this really happening? _

"I-I don't hate you either." Tawni stuttered a little.

With effort, Nico brought his eyes back up to hers. "That's great. But what about Damien?"

"Who?" Tawni said, then blushed. "Oh. I'm not.. . I mean, we're not... I mean... he's not... _you_." Suddenly she pulled back a little. "I'm sorry! I can't believe I just said that. I know you're not interested me and you don't have to feel obligated in anyway and I didn't mean to-" She stopped abruptly as he kissed her.

Slowly, my eyes still fixed on them, I backed away, almost stumbling. I couldn't believe this. Nico and Tawni. Tawni and Nico. They were kissing. I gasped as I realized the full truth. Tawni was cheating on Damien. And I was the only one who knew.

_AN: Uh oh... didn't see that one coming did you? *Dramatic music* What should Sonny do? Who do you think is pulling the pranks? Are the Randoms and the Mac Falls group going to be able to pull together this charity ball thing? Was that Logan and Jacquelyn moment cute or what? Oh my gosh... I covered a lot in this chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading it. Please review! It really does help me write faster. Thanks for reading! _


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